MIAMI – Aaron Pico has been quiet, staying out of the limelight since his UFC debut loss, and that’s been very intentional.
Following his knockout defeat to Lerone Murphy in August, Pico (13-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) disconnected. No stranger to high-profile losses, this one felt different. And since it wasn’t easy to deal with, Pico relocated to Morocco to clear his mind.
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“I’m not going to lie: After the last loss, I took it a little bit hard,” Pico told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I was really embarrassed. I had some down days. It’s just part of the game, especially when you put a lot of work into it. That’s what fans sometimes don’t understand. So I’m very thankful for the fans. Don’t get me wrong. Then you also get the fans who criticize and say certain things. But they don’t see behind the scenes and how much you work, the hunger and pain before bed because you’re cutting weight, the toll it takes on families, things like that. You put your life and soul into it and to come up short, especially on a stage like that, I took it really, really hard. It was OK, though, after a few weeks with my son and traveling. I spent a lot of time in Morocco. One thing I always know is the sun rises the next morning. My son loves me, and my family has got me, and I’ve just got to get back on the horse. It was very difficult, but I’m back now. So all good.”
Pico, 29, has garned hype since his teenage years as a standout wrestler and boxer. He made his pro debut on a Bellator pay-per-view event in 2017 and suffered a stunning upset loss to Zach Freeman. So dealing with high-profile losses is nothing new. But the UFC is a different beast – an excessive increase of eyeballs watching. To get knocked out brutally in under four minutes is not ideal. But Pico found silver linings.
“It sounds weird because, in a way, I don’t like to say this, but I’m happy that it kind of happened because I really had to take a good look in the mirror and assess my game, especially fighting in the UFC,” Pico said. “Sometimes you can get away from it. With guys who are not skilled, you can just go in there and bulldoze guys over and throw punches and do whatever. When you’re fighting Lerone Murphy, who is No. 2 in the world, and when you fight any guy in the UFC, you have to be smart. I just got overexcited and felt good and wasn’t really thinking. Then I got caught. Basically, what I’m saying is I had to really work on a few things: Fight IQ, movement, just all-around things. I did that. I’ve been training the last few months and working on a new style and just different things. I’m excited on Saturday night to show it.”
Finally, Pico vs. ‘Pitbull’
Out of the shadows and back into the spotlight for UFC 327 fight week, Pico faces Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (37-8 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the featured prelim at Kaseya Center. It’s a fight that seemed inevitable under the Bellator banner prior to the promotion’s absorption by PFL.
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“I’d have thought it was a little crazy because I’ve been scheduled to fight him in Bellator,” Pico said. “If somebody was to say, ‘You’re going to fight him in the UFC,’ that’d have been crazy. But we’re here now. I feel really good during fight week. I’m having a lot of fun. I’m at peace, and I’m ready for Saturday night.”
Throughout their long-standing alignment as two of the faces of Bellator, the two remained respectful. However, in the build to this bout, “Pitbull” has been critical of Pico’s chin. When asked about “Pitbull’s” comments, Pico didn’t dispute them but indicated he doesn’t think that potential shortcoming will be an issue.
“Maybe,” Pico said. “He’s going to have a hard time hitting me on Saturday night. Maybe I do have a glass chin, but you’re not going to hit me. It’s all good.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 327: Aaron Pico details difficulty dealing with UFC debut loss
